A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses related to windshield wipers and more specifically to methods and apparatus related to preventing unintentional removal of wiper blades such as by a car wash.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in the art to provide vehicles with devices commonly referred to as “windshield wipers” that are operated to clean and/or clear the front and sometimes the rear window or windshield through which vehicle passengers look. Such windshield wipers are typically pivoted across a portion of the outer surface of the windshield where they clear or wipe the windshield surface to remove water, snow, ice or debris.
It is also well known to place windshield wipers in a non-use or “park” position when they are not being used. Often, especially for rear windshields, the windshield wipers are positioned onto a wiper lifter, sometimes referred to as a ramp, to maintain the wiper in the parked position. Typically, placing the wiper onto the wiper lifter lifts the wiper away from the windshield and supports the wiper lifter to the vehicle without damaging the vehicle. In this way the windshield can be opened and closed without interference with the wiper.
While known windshield wipers and wiper lifters generally work well for their intended purpose, they are known to create a problem. This problem is related to the space or gap between the wiper arm, which attaches the wiper blade to the vehicle, and the outer surface of the vehicle when the wiper is in the parked position. Specifically, this gap makes it relatively easy for an automatic car wash cleaning strip or brush (or other unwanted object) to drop into the gap and then pullbackward on the wiper arm. It is known for such car wash strips to drop into the gap, pullbackward on the wiper arm as the car moves through the car wash and, rotate the wiper blade such that the wiper blade is removed from the arm. When this is the case, the removed wiper blade is often left on the floor of the car wash with the vehicle operator unaware of the problem until later—when it is necessary to replace the removed wiper blade.
In order to prevent this unintentional wiper removal problem, it is known to limit the pullback angle of the wiper arm. While this solution limits unintentional wiper removal, it creates significant inconvenience for wiper service. Specifically, small wiper arm pullback angles greatly increase the work required to remove the wiper when it is desirable to do so as the wiper arm must be detached from the vehicle before the wiper blade can be replaced. Once the wiper blade is replaced, the wiper arm must be reattached to the vehicle. Such wiper arm detachment and reattachment is cumbersome and may lead to damage to the wiper arm or the motor used to pivot the wiper across the windshield.
Therefore, what is needed is a method and apparatus that prevents unintentional removal of a wiper blade yet does so in a manner that permits easy removal of the wiper blade when it is desirable to do so.